Innovative IT Solutions since 1992
Avangate Story
Your e-commerce services partner for your software business!
Our story begins 16 years ago when GECAD Software, the mother company, started developing its proprietary solution RAV (Reliable Antivirus).
The RAV years, as the team calls this period, have been quite amazing as we started the business from the scratch and managed to grow it into an internationally recognized antivirus player: >10 million users, through online and classic distribution channels with >150 resellers worldwide.
The RAV technology was sold to Microsoft in 2003. The core RAV Anti Virus engine is shipping in many Microsoft products today (including Vista, WindowsLiveOneCare, MSN Messenger and others) and Avangate Chairman, Radu Georgescu, consulted to Microsoft during transition of RAV into Microsoft.
After selling RAV technology to Microsoft in 2003, GECAD team focused on new business directions and capitalized the know-how gathered during the RAV years to build two complete eCommerce proprietary solutions - ePayment® for hard goods and Avangate® for software.
Four years later, ePayment® holds 86% of the Romanian eCommerce market while Avangate® is among the worldwide eCommerce solutions dedicated to software vendors.
It's been four challenging and effervescent years that made Avangate become the preferred eCommerce solutions for leading software vendors all over the world.
Moreover, we, at Avangate, have focused on giving the ISV community more than just tools; we are active speakers on various industry specific topics – web marketing techniques, software promotion strategies, best sales approaches to increase volumes – and we are also keen on establishing strategic partnerships with an aim to effectively endorse our clients business worldwide.
Avangate milestones
- GECAD decides to focus on security, starting to research and develop RAV Antivirus;
- RAV commercial division is operational. RAV starts online sales. GECAD is a pioneer in the field.
- While GECAD continued to grow as one of the most respected local IT Company, specialized in security, software licensing and IT consultancy, RAV division matured and the software product reached the international market, gaining awards and recognition.
- 2001 - RAV tops 10M end-user worldwide
- 2002 - RAV sees incredible global growth: 150 distributors in over 60 countries
- 2003 – RAV antivirus technology is acquired by Microsoft
- GECAD reshapes its entire business and launches three new directions, one of them focused on eCommerce solutions.
- GECAD ePayment, awarded Best Integrator in 2004 within the Romanian IT&C Awards
- proprietary ePayment® technology is launched
- Proprietary Avangate® solution is launched, built especially to support software vendors increase sales volumes through online channel
- myAvangate is launched as beta version to make Reseller Management Easy for Software Vendors
- Avangate Affiliates Program is launched, keen to form a network of important partnerships with key companies to support clients' software promotion
- 24x7 Customer Support Center and secure antifraud shield
- Free tools for Software Promotion (Avangate Pad Validator, Avangate Pad Promoter)
- Japanese and Chinese languages are added to the Avangate checkout page, supporting software vendors sell big on the Asian market;
- Avangate opens North America Sales office in San Francisco, CA
- myAvangate is commercially launched
- more than 70 features implemented, most on ISV request
- 50+ professional team carrying on the Avangate promise
- ARMS –Management Platform for Software Distribution Channels – was launched at CEBIT 2008 (Standalone & Web-based);
- myAvangate becomes ARMS (Avangate Reseller Management System) with an advanced channel distribution management set of tools;
- Our Web Marketing Manager, Adriana Iordan becomes an ASP (Association of Shareware Professionals ) board member, in charge with the association PR & Marketing activities;